Current electrical networks (e.g., a power grid) are generally comprised of a system of wires and substations that generate electricity at a substation (e.g., coal, solar, etc.) and deliver the electricity to customers. The current electrical networks include a number of motors and generators connected between the substation and the customer to assist with delivery of the electricity to the customers.
Relay systems, comprised of relays and circuit breakers, can be used in current electrical networks to detect various electrical problems (e.g., current surge, dynamic disturbances) and protect the motors and generators by cutting off electricity when a problem is detected. Relays and circuit breakers function together to trip the circuit breakers in the event of a detected problem in a current electrical network, thereby resulting in a power outage. However, sometimes power outages can occur due to faulty equipment (e.g., relay failure), making it unclear if the power outage occurred due to faulty equipment or a legitimate detected problem. Therefore, after a power outage condition occurs, engineers will test each piece of equipment to try to determine whether the piece of equipment is functioning properly.
Testing individual pieces of equipment (e.g., relays) in a network can be difficult, due to the fact that there are many pieces of equipment to test and that all of the equipment is connected via wires. To improve testing efficiency, each piece of equipment can be fitted with a test switch unit. The test switch unit, when enabled, isolates the piece of equipment from the rest of the system, allowing engineers to determine if the piece of equipment is functional.
While it is helpful to understand whether the piece of equipment is functioning correctly after a power outage, it is also helpful to know why the piece of equipment performed in a particular manner in response to an electrical problem. The National Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC) created new guidelines requiring energy providers to constantly monitor and record network activity to explain why equipment functioned in a particular manner.